Butler County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the southeast Ozark Foothills Region in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. As of the 2020 Census, the county's population was 42,130. The largest city and

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Poplar Bluff Poplar Bluff is a medium city in Butler County in Southeast Missouri, United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The population was 16,225 at the 2020 census. The Poplar B ...

. The county was officially organized from Wayne County on February 27, 1849, and is named after former

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

William O. Butler ( D-

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

), who was also an unsuccessful candidate for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

. The first meeting in the Butler County Courthouse was held on June 18, 1849. Butler County comprises the Poplar Bluff, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Wayne County (north) * Stoddard County (northeast) * Dunklin County (southeast) *

Clay County, Arkansas Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Originally incorporated as Clayton County, as of the 2010 census, its population was 16,083. The county has two county seats, Corning and Piggott. It is a dry county, in which the ...

(south) * Ripley County (west) * Carter County (northwest)

Major highways

* Future Interstate 57 * U.S. Route 60 *

U.S. Route 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues ...

U.S. Route 160 U.S. Route 160 (US 160) is a 1,465 mile (2,358 km) long east–west United States highway in the Midwestern and Western United States. The western terminus of the route is at US 89 five miles (8 km) west of Tuba City, Arizo ...

* Route 51 * Route 53 * Route 142

National protected area

Mark Twain National Forest Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) is a U.S. National Forest located in the southern half of Missouri. MTNF was established on September 11, 1939. It is named for author Mark Twain, a Missouri native. The MTNF covers of which is public owned, ...

(part)

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 40,867 people, 16,718 households, and 11,318 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 59 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 18,707 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.16%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 5.22%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.56% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.26% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.36% from two or more races. Approximately 1.01% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Butler County were 31.7% American, 13.8%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 11.6%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and 10.5%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. There were 16,718 households, out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.50% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $34,422, and the median income for a family was $42,713. Males had a median income of $27,449 versus $19,374 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $20,282. About 14.00% of families and 18.60% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 25.90% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2010), Butler County is part of the

Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States in which socially conservative Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society and politics, and church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's a ...

, with evangelical Protestantism being the most predominant religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Butler County who adhere to a religion are

Southern Baptists The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wo ...

(36.39%),

nondenominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...

groups (14.64%), and Roman Catholics (11.92%).

2020 Census

Education

Of adults 25 years of age and older in Butler County, 70.5% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 11.6% holds a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

or higher as their highest educational attainment.

Public Schools

*Neelyville R-IV School District - Neelyville **Hillview Elementary School - Harviell - (PK-02) **Neelyville Elementary School - (03-06) **Neelyville High School - (07-12) *Poplar Bluff R-I School District -

**Eugene Field Elementary School - (01-03) **Mark Twain Early Childhood Center - (PK/Daycare) **Lake Road Elementary School - (01-04) **Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Center - (K) **O'Neal Elementary School - (01-03) **Oak Grove Elementary School - (01-03) **Poplar Bluff Middle School - (04-06) **Poplar Bluff Jr. High School (07-08) **Poplar Bluff High School (09-12) *Twin Rivers R-X School District -

Broseley Broseley is a market town in Shropshire, England, with a population of 4,929 at the 2011 Census and an estimate of 5,022 in 2019. The River Severn flows to its north and east. The first The Iron Bridge, iron bridge in the world was built in 17 ...

**Fisk Elementary School - Fisk - (K-08) **Qulin Elementary School -

Qulin Qulin is a town located in Butler County, Missouri, Butler County in Southeast Missouri, United States. The population was 460 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Qulin is included within the Poplar Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

- (K-08) **Twin Rivers High School -

- (09-12)

Private schools

*Agape Christian School -

- (K-12) - Non-denominational Christian *Sacred Heart Elementary School -

- (PK-08) -

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

*Southern Missouri Christian School -

- (K-12) -

Assembly of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

*Westwood Baptist Academy -

- (PK-12) -

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

*Zion Lutheran School -

- Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod

Special education/other schools

*Hentz Alternative Learning Center -

*Shady Grove State School -

*Sierra-Osage Treatment Center -

*W.E. Sears Youth Center -

Post-secondary

* Three Rivers College -

- A public, two-year community college.

Public libraries

* Fisk Community Library *Poplar Bluff Public Library

Politics

Local

The Republican Party completely controls all politics at the local level in Butler County.

State

Butler County is split between two legislative districts in the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

, both of which are represented by Republicans. * District 152 is currently represented b
Hardy Billington
(R-

). It consists of all of the cities of Neelyville, Qulin, and Poplar Bluff; all of the census-designated place of Harviell; and the unincorporated communities of Angus, Batesville, Belcher, Booser, Broseley, Fagus, Hubbel, Kremlin, Loma Linda, Nyssa, Oglesville, Platanus, Resnik, Roxie, Taft, and Vastus. * District 153 is currently represented b
Darrell Atchison
(R-Williamsville, Missouri, Williamsville). It consists of all of the city of Fisk and the unincorporated communities of Ash Hill, Barron, Empire, Halloran, Hamtown, Hendrickson, Hilliard, Keener, Kinzer, Morocco, Rombauer, and Wilby. All of Butler County is included in Missouri's 25th Senatorial District and is represented by Republica
Jason Bean
(R-Holcomb, Missouri, Holcomb) in the Missouri Senate.

Federal

All of Butler County is included in MO-08, Missouri's 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Jason Smith (politician), Jason Smith (R-Salem, Missouri, Salem) in the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives. Smith was elected to a fifth term in 2020 United States House of Representatives elections, 2020 over Democratic challenger Kathy Ellis. Butler County, along with the rest of the state of Missouri, is represented in the U.S. Senate by Josh Hawley (R-Columbia, Missouri, Columbia) and Roy Blunt (R-Strafford, Missouri, Strafford). Blunt was elected to a second term in 2016 United States Senate elections, 2016 over then-Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander.

Political culture

At the presidential level, Butler County is solidly Republican. Butler County strongly favored Donald Trump in both 2016 United States presidential election, 2016 and 2020 United States presidential election, 2020. Bill Clinton was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Butler County in 1992 United States presidential election, 1992 with a plurality of the vote, and a Democrat hasn't won majority support from the county's voters in a presidential election since Jimmy Carter in 1976 United States presidential election, 1976. Like most rural areas throughout Missouri, voters in Butler County generally adhere to socially and culturally Conservatism, conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. Despite Butler County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing Populism, populist causes. In 2018, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition A) concerning Right to Work, right to work, the outcome of which ultimately reversed the right to work legislation passed in the state the previous year. 54.47% of Butler County voters cast their ballots to overturn the law.

Missouri presidential preference primaries

2020

The 2020 presidential primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties were held in Missouri on March 10. On the Democratic side, former Vice President of the United States, Vice President Joe Biden (D-Delaware) both won statewide and carried Butler County by a wide margin. Biden went on to defeat President of the United States, President Donald Trump in the general election. Incumbent President of the United States, President Donald Trump (R-Florida) faced a primary challenge from former Governor of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, but won both Butler County and statewide by overwhelming margins.

2016

The 2016 presidential primaries for both the Republican and Democratic parties were held in Missouri on March 15. Businessman Donald Trump (R-New York (state), New York) narrowly won the state overall, but carried a majority of the vote in Butler County. He went on to win the presidency. On the Democratic side, former United States Secretary of State, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-New York (state), New York) narrowly won statewide and carried a majority in Butler County.

2012

The 2012 Missouri Republican Presidential Primary's results were nonbinding on the state's national convention delegates. Voters in Butler County supported former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), who finished first in the state at large, but eventually lost the nomination to former Governor of Massachusetts, Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts). Delegates to the congressional district and state conventions were chosen at a county caucus, which selected a delegation favoring Santorum. Incumbent President of the United States, President Barack Obama easily won the Missouri Democratic Primary and renomination. He defeated Romney in the general election.

2008

In 2008, the Missouri Republican Presidential Primary was closely contested, with United States Senator, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) prevailing and eventually winning the nomination. However, former Governor of Arkansas, Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) won a plurality in Butler County. Then-United States Senator, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York (state), New York) received more votes than any candidate from either party in Butler County during the 2008 presidential primary. Despite initial reports that Clinton had won Missouri, Barack Obama (D-Illinois), also a United States Senator, Senator at the time, narrowly defeated her statewide and later became that year's Democratic nominee, going on to win the presidency.

Communities

Cities

* Fisk * Neelyville *

(county seat and largest municipality) *

Census-designated places

*Fairdealing, Missouri, Fairdealing (part) * Harviell

Other unincorporated communities

* Ash Hill, Missouri, Ash Hill * Batesville, Missouri, Batesville *

* Empire, Missouri, Empire * Fagus, Missouri, Fagus * Halloran, Missouri, Halloran * Hendrickson, Missouri, Hendrickson * Kinzer, Missouri, Kinzer * Oglesville, Missouri, Oglesville * Rombauer, Missouri, Rombauer * Taft, Missouri, Taft * Vastus, Missouri, Vastus * Wappapello, Missouri, Wappapello * Wilby, Missouri, Wilby

Townships

Butler County is divided into ten Township (United States), townships: * Ash Hill Township, Butler County, Missouri, Ash Hill * Beaver Dam Township, Butler County, Missouri, Beaver Dam * Black River Township, Butler County, Missouri, Black River * Cane Creek Township, Butler County, Missouri, Cane Creek * Coon Island Township, Butler County, Missouri, Coon Island * Epps Township, Butler County, Missouri, Epps * Gillis Bluff Township, Butler County, Missouri, Gillis Bluff * Neely Township, Butler County, Missouri, Neely * Poplar Bluff Township, Butler County, Missouri, Poplar Bluff * St. Francois Township, Butler County, Missouri, St. Francois

Notable people

* Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, television producer (''Designing Women'') * Christian Boeving, fitness model, bodybuilder and actor *Sean Fister, 1995, 2001 and 2005 World Long Drive Champion, inducted to 3 Hall of Fames * Leroy Griffith, burlesque theater owner and film producer *Tyler Hansbrough, NBA basketball player for the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and the Charlotte Hornets * Scott Innes, radio broadcaster and voice actor for ''Scooby-Doo'' * Charles Jaco, CNN reporter * Billie G. Kanell, Medal of Honor recipient, United States Army * Tim Lollar, professional baseball pitcher * Matt Lucas (singer), Matt Lucas, singer, drummer and songwriter * Julie McCullough, actress-model (''Growing Pains'' and ''Playboy'' Playboy Playmate, Playmate) * Derland Moore, professional football player *Mikel Rouse, composer

References

External links

Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Butler County
from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books {{authority control Butler County, Missouri, Missouri counties 1849 establishments in Missouri Populated places established in 1849